New Beginnings
by LathielStormblade
Summary: The broken Winchester family moves to New Orleans, Louisiana after their mother dies in a house fire. Dean's willing to make do with the new life but Sam is more than a little pissed at the move. Until he meets a sophomore named Gabriel. Then things might go a little differently than he had planned... Sabriel, Destiel, and highschool AU fun.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hola peeps. Yup, I have decided to add my highschool AU to all those other ones out there. There's really not much I can say except that Sam and Dean are only two years apart rather than four. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm just a nerd, why would I own these awesome characters?**

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean Winchester yelled as he stuck his head in his little brother's room.

Sam groaned, pulling the covers over his head. "Go'way..." he slurred.

Dean collapsed on top of Sam, extracting another groan from the younger. "Come on, Sammy, we're gonna be late on our first day. And, though rules aren't exactly my favorite, I'd prefer not to make such a bad impression."

"Sam!" John, their father, called from the other room. "Up and at 'em, we have to get going!"

"Nnngh, alright," Sam moaned.

"I'm serious, Sam! You have two minutes before I drive you to school in your pajamas!"

Sam pushed Dean off him. "I'm coming." he sighed, throwing off his blankets.

After brushing his teeth, Sam slumped out to the Impala wearing a somewhat ratty pair of jeans, a black T-shirt with a dark blue and green plaid button-down open over it. He hefted his backpack up on his shoulder as he climbed in the back. Dean already claimed shotgun.

John looked in the rearview mirror at his youngest son and sighed. "Sam, I know you didn't want to move-"

"That's a pretty tame way of putting it." he grumbled, pushing his bangs out of his face.

"But it's for the best, son, I promise." John continued, ignoring Sam. "It will be nice to get away from Lawrence after..." He cleared his throat.

"After Mom's death, I know." Sam stated sourly and stared out the window.

"Don't be like that." Dean snapped. "Mom's memory deserves better than that."

Sam growled and almost shot something back. "Enough!" John snarled. "You two shouldn't fight, not about something like this."

Sam knew he should drop it there, but he started the day badly, why not keep the theme going? "You're just in denial. You think the fire was your fault." Sam mumbled. "But you know it was Dean's, you just don't want to accept that your perfect son killed your wife.

John's jaw clenched, but other than that he had no reaction. Dean on the other hand reached back and whacked Sam upside the head. "Shut up!"

Sam rubbed his head, his expression somewhere between a pout and a scowl. "You know it's true, you-"

"Sam!" John snapped, pulling in to the high school's parking lot. He sighed, twisting in his seat to look at his son after having parked the car. "Listen, I know you don't want to be here; you want to be back at your old school with all your friends, but you have to understand that in the long run this will help you."

Sam huffed and slide down in his seat, folding his arms over his chest. "Can I just get the day over with?"

"Please, Sammy, try to be positive about this."

"There's nothing to be positive _about_." Sam said in clipped tones.

"You're just angry because Jessica and Sarah aren't here." Dean teased, still mad at Sam for disrespecting their mother.

"And you're just jealous 'cause your sixteen-year-old brother got more action than you because all the girls knew you were a douche and wouldn't go out with you."

"Sam if you don't drop this attitude now, you're going to get grounded." John growled.

Sam flung open his door and jumped out, throwing his hands above his head. "What's the point?! It's not like I'm in paradise now!" he shouted and stormed off towards the school.

John sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dean?" he said, looking over at his elder child.

"I know," Dean exhaled. "Watch my back, pay attention in class, get good grades and protect Sammy."

John nodded and hugged Dean. "Exactly." He ruffled his son's hair. "Be good and make sure your brother is as well."

Dean climbed out of the Impala with a last look and wave at his father and ran after Sam, who had shoved his hands deep in his pockets. "Come on, Sammy," Dean said, putting a hand on his brother's back. "It's not all bad, you'll see."

Sam shrugged off his hand. "I find that hard to believe," he muttered then shot a glare at Dean. "And it's Sam, not Sammy or Samuel, just Sam."

"Hey," Dean nudged Samuel with his elbow. "If you're going to piss about everything then you aren't allowed to complain when it pisses back at you."

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Shouldn't you be finding a girl to make out in the janitor's closet with?"

"And leave my baby brother alone?" Dean made the most overly dramatic shocked face he could muster. "Never!"

"I'm not a baby any more, Dean." Sam stated simply. He looked down at the ground and when he looked up, he saw a girl in a denim skirt with a white blouse and perky smile walking towards them. Sam couldn't quite decide if her hair was just a super deep brown or black but her eyes were definitely a dark brown.

"Hi, I'm Andrea Barr." she held out a hand to Dean and he shook it, giving her one of his award-winning smiles. "You're the new senior, right? Dean Winchester?"

"Guilty as charged." Dean grinned.

Andrea smiled back at him. "I was asked to be your liaison until you've got the layout of the school." Andrea looked the older Winchester up and down like she didn't mind the responsibility at all. "Shall we get started?"

Dean's smile faltered. "But, wait, what about my brother, Sammy?"

"It's _Sam_." Samuel muttered grudgingly.

Andrea looked over at Sam. "You're the sophomore?" Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't know where your classes are, but someone else should have been asked to make sure you knew where to go." She turned to a scrawny kid walking into the school. "Ash! Do you know who was asked to show the new kid around?"

Ash thought for a moment. "I think... no, it wasn't him... Maybe, no, _no_, there's no way they'd ask her." Suddenly he snapped. "Ms. Talbot asked Gabriel to do it."

Andrea's jaw dropped. "No_ way_." she laughed. "You're joking, right? There's no way she would do that – he's not even here half the time!"

"Yeah," Ash chuckled. "I think this is her way of prompting him to come more often."

"Wait, who's Gabriel?" Sam interjected.

"This kid," Ash said ever so helpfully. "He's the real rebellious type, you know, dark clothes and all that, not quite goth though. He lives with his mom, listens to heavy metal, it's rumored he does drugs too but there's no proof of it."

Dean's jaw had already dropped so far Sam was surprised it wasn't lying on the floor by now. "You know, maybe you should just pretend you're a senior..."

"Aww, but then I'd loose my reason to be here." a voice moaned and all four of them turned to see a small boy walking towards them. He was pretty short, Sam guessed. Yeah, sure, he himself was rather tall, but this kid would barely reach Dean's forehead. He wore a black Avenged Sevenfold concert tee with dark jeans and hightops. His light brown hair had a look to it like he had woken up and looked in the mirror, ran his fingers through it a couple times, said, _Screw it_, and went out like that. And his eyes... Sam had to admit, this short stack had some pretty good looking eyes. They were a brassy color, golden brown, and it seemed like there was some green in them as well – not the vibrant green he'd come to associate with Dean's eyes, but a more natural, grassy kind of green. He sauntered up to Sam. "Hey, Gigantor, I'm Gabriel."

Sam looked at Dean, his expression clearly reading _Help_. Dean shrugged and walked off with Andrea and Ash, giving Sam one last pitying look. Sam sighed. "My name's Sam." he stated simply.

"You sure? 'Cause you look like a moose." Gabriel chuckled as Sam rolled his eyes slightly. Suddenly he became very sober. "Don't believe them." he said, glaring at Ash's back. "I don't do drugs and I don't smoke and I don't cut. I'm not a moron."

Sam let out a nervous chuckle. "No, rumors are just what jealous people say to degrade you, right?"

"Maybe you're not the dork you look like." Gabriel laughed. "C'mon, I'll show you 'round."

Sam followed Gabriel up the steps and into the school, Gabe even held the door open for him. Maybe he wasn't a terrible kid, just got bad PR.

Sam's sneakers echoed on the black and white tiled floor as he walked in and looked around the deserted building. The hallway ran in a straight line across with navy lockers lining most of its walls. The only break in the locker barrier was directly across from Sam, a staircase leading up to the second and third stories.

"Lockers, gym, and cafeteria are all on this floor." Gabe explained as he pulled a lollypop out of his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. "Oh, and the Principal's office." he grinned, pointing down the left branch. "I know that one by heart." Gabriel eyed Sam's backpack. "We're already late, so you might as well just keep the bag." he headed towards the stairs and beckoned for Sam to follow. "We're kinda split up so it's pretty easy – freshmen and sophomores are on the second floor and juniors and seniors are on the third. Although, like for our art class, we'll end up on the other floor, but other than that, it doesn't happen often."

Sam nodded the whole time Gabriel was talking as he jogged up the stairs, but he couldn't say he had actually listened much to the shortie.

Gabriel led Sam down a hallway just like the last one, but instead of lockers lining the walls it was numbered doors. He stopped at a specific door and gave a grin to Sam. "Ready to get yelled at, Gigantor?"

"Ahh, they'll go easy on me, it's my first day. You, though..." Sam joked and Gabe rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm the only prankster around here. This school ain't big enough for two."

Sam laughed and pushed open the door. "Come on, pipsqueak."

"C'mon, that's not fair; you're like a freaking Sasquatch." Gabriel pouted as he walked in the classroom, which, as you might have guessed, had four rows of five perfectly spaced chairs – most of which had a person in them except for a few empty ones peppered throughout – and a desk at the front with a chalkboard behind it, the two windows on the opposite walls open to let a gentle mid-October breeze float in.

Gabriel turned halfway through his entry into the room and smirked at Sam. "You're a _Sam_squatch." he grinned at his own joke and made for his desk.

"You're late, Mr. Novak." the tall brunette teacher at the front of the class sighed, her accent making it clearly known she was English.

Gabe gave a dismissive shrug and smiled. "Sorry, Ms. Talbot, but I was showing the noob around like you asked me to." He grinned and headed for his seat at the back of the class.

"Gabriel!" Ms. Talbot snapped. She sighed and turned to Sam. "Hello, Mr. Winchester, I'm pleased to have you in my class. I have had some contact with your previous teachers, Samuel, and they tell me you were quite the star student; I am expecting a lot of good things from you, Mr. Winchester."

A faint smile appeared on Sam's lips. So he already had a reputation here. That meant a bit less work in his studies and more slack. "Thank you, Ms. Talbot, I'll keep up the good work." Sam grinned and took a seat in the middle of the room.

"Hey," a voice behind him said. Sam turned to see a pretty, smiling, brunette girl behind him. "Hi, I'm Madison."

Sam smiled back. "Sam."

Madison beamed. "Welcome to Riverside; I hope you enjoy New Orleans."

"Thanks," Sam said politely, turning around as Ms. Talbot began to lecture about Christopher Columbus' life.

Sam wondered briefly how Dean was holding up. He wondered if the elder Winchester would have trouble in his studies, seeing as starting at a new school in the middle of the semester wasn't ideal.

Of course, moving to Louisiana from Kansas hadn't been ideal either, but their father had insisted on it after coming home from taking the boys to see the new Thor movie and finding firefighters surrounded what used to be their house.

He and Dean had sobbed for hours in the rundown motel they stayed at while John looked for a new house. Dean admitted to Sam that he thought the fire to be his fault. His old girlfriend, Layla, had given him a cinnamon scented candle, since he had recently mentioned how much he loved how she smelled like the spice.

Dean had confessed that he left the candle lit most of the day – which Sam teased him for often because it made his room smell like cookies – and had knocked it over in his haste to grab his Thor baseball cap before heading to the theater.

"Mr, Winchester, I asked you a simple question and I do expect you to be able to answer it." Ms. Talbot called from the front of the classroom, all the other students in the room had turned to face him, some chuckling unabashedly.

Sam silently groaned. Great. It was his first day here and already he wasn't paying attention to the teacher. "Could you, uh- could you... repeat the question?" Sam asked slowly, feeling his face grow hot as more stifled laughs echoed around the room.

Ms. Talbot hushed everyone with a glare, seemingly taking pity on Samuel. "What did Columbus set out to find in the first place?"

"Asia." he replied immediately, feeling his confidence grow in a nerdy sort of way. He knew all this material like the back of his hand. "He wanted to find an all water trading route to Asia but stumbled on the Americas instead. That's why he called the islands the West Indies – he thought he was near India."

Ms. Talbot smiled. "Correct. Thank you, Mr. Winchester."

Sam sighed, sinking into his seat and doodling randomly in his textbook. Before he knew it, the bell rang. Ms. Talbot excused them and as they walked out of the classroom Madison ran up to Sam, calling his name.

"Hey, so I know you're new and all and that you just got here, but our class has been working really hard on charting all the explorers of the Old World and other people who helped make America possible, so we're going to see a concert the first week of November and I bet I could talk Ms. Talbot into letting you come, if you want to, I mean." Madison added, blushing.

Sam smiled graciously at her offer. "Thanks, who are you guys going to see?"

"Five Seconds To Summer." Maddie said proudly. "I talked the class into it."

"Oh," Sam's face fell. He had really wanted to do something to get more "in" with everyone, but he was also very particular to what he listened to. "I mean, thanks for the offer and everything, but that's not exactly my taste."

"Oh good," Gabriel moaned behind Sam. "I thought I was the only one who couldn't stand that pop crap."

Madison wrinkled her noise. "It's not _crap_, it's _art_."

Gabe shrugged. "Agree to disagree, sweetheart?"

Madison snorted. "I'll always disagree." She gave one last smile directed towards a certain moose-like sixteen-year-old. "I'll talk to you later, Sam." and she hurried off to her next class.

Sam exhaled deeply. "Dude, she's a total babe."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "And a complete nerd; you two would be perfect for each other." Gabriel laughed when Sam's face turned a vibrant shade of red. "Don't worry, I won't tell her you said that. So you said you don't like pop, what _is_ your music preference?"

"I'm kind of a hard/punk rock kind of person. You know, AFI and My Chemical Romance."

Gabriel nodded appreciatively. "Both amazing bands. I'm an Avenged Sevenfold type guy, if you couldn't tell," he pulled on his shirt to make the picture on it more visible and less wrinkled. "Devil Wears Prada too. And I've always been kinda fond of Fall Out Boy."

This time it was Sam's turn to nod agreeingly. "They make good music."

Gabriel concurred and pulled a pack of gum out of his pocket. "Want some?" he asked, unwrapping a piece and popping it in his mouth.

Sam gaped at the tiny looking pockets. "How did that even fit in there?!"

Gabriel stopped dead in his tracks, making Sam have to walk a few paces back. "I- I don't know..." the shorter boy declared and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Maybe it's a mini TARDIS."

"So you have something that can bend space and time to your will and you use it to hold candy?" Sam questioned with a raised eyebrow, to which Gabriel laughed. "Dude, if you think my pockets are stuffed, you should see my backpack." he gestured to the black single-strap bag on his back. "There's some brownies in there, a cake made from Milkyways, a Yoohoo or two... Need I go on?"

"Do you have any textbooks or anything _other_ than sugar in there?" Sam laughed.

Gabriel tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Well hello, queer. Who needs _textbooks_ when I gots candy!" he proclaimed, holding his bag up Lion King style.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, sugar junkie, we gotta get to our next class."

Gabriel shouldered his pack. "_Finnnneee_," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "We have art next. Oh, you'll love it. It's taught by Mr. Fitzgerald but he asks everyone to call him by his first name, Garth. He's _the _coolest."

"Let's get going then!" Sam said impatiently and Gabriel laughed.

He led Sam down the hall up to another flight of steps that led to a hallway almost exactly the same as the one they'd just left. Gabriel went down the right and Sam almost followed until he heard a voice say, "Really? A '78 Lincoln Continental Mark V? That's a nice car. My dad's giving me his 67' Chevy Impala once he gets a new car. It's pretty sweet. I'll have to show you it sometime."

Sam's head snapped around and he expected to see Dean bragging to a girl, probably that Andrea chick. Instead he was standing there, deep in conversation with a guy dressed in slacks, a white dress shirt, and a dark blue tie that certainly didn't match the bedhead style his dark hair was in.

Dean saw Sam out of the corner of his eye and smiled, excusing himself and walking over to his little brother. "Hey, Sammy, how was first period?"

"It was fine. Teacher was really nice." he smiled.

"Oh? And how's the Gabriel kid?" Dean warily eyed Gabe, who had only now noticed Sam wasn't behind him any more and was starting to make his way back.

"Oh, pipsqueak?" Sam looked over his shoulder. "He's cool, real cool, except he has the biggest sweets fetish I've ever seen."

Dean nodded. "Well, Dad texted me a bit ago, wanted to know if you want to go get some ice cream from Bruster's after school."

Sam felt his bad mood bubbling up again. This was his father's version of a peace offering? After tearing him away from all his old friends? It was highly unlikely that some Pop Rocks ice cream was going to make Sam forget that so quickly.

But he saw the hopeful look in Dean's eye and sighed. "Tell him sure."

"Awesome." Dean ruffled his little brother's hair affectionately then pulled out his phone. "Now you get to class and don't heckle the teachers."

The younger rolled his eyes. "'Kay, bye, Dean." and turned to Gabriel, who was looking at the black haired boy. The boy stuck his tongue out at him and Gabriel raised a choice finger and laughed. Sam frowned. "Who's that?"

"The overdressed idjit over there is my cousin, Castiel." Gabe stated and headed down the hallway once more. "His dad, Michael, is my dad, Lucifer's, brother." He made a face. "It ain't easy being related to someone like him, especially since he's Mr-goody-two-shoes-always-plays-by-the-rules-and-listens-to-the-adults-and-gets-good-grades-need-I-go-on? Novak. People always expect me to be exactly like him."

"That's the exact opposite of my situation." Sam laughed, scanning through the rooms for something that would suggest an art room. "All my old teachers expected me to be like Dean – never listen to the rules, change girlfriends every week, barely scrape by; they didn't expect me to actually_ study_ though."

Gabriel gasped dramatically. "_Study_? What is this thing you speak of?"

Sam rolled his eyes as Gabriel walked in front of him, pushing open a door. In the room, desks were pushed up against the wall, covered in painted clay and canvases. In the middle of the room, in zigzaggy lines, were easels with paint covered jars in their little trays and brushes strewn around them.

A man shorter than Sam, not that that was saying much, most people were shorter than Sam, walked up to him. "Sam Winchester!" he proclaimed excitedly and grabbed Samuel's hand, shaking it firmly. "I'm happy to have you in my class; you can call me Garth."

"Uh, thank you Mr. G-" Sam started but was cut off when Garth put his hand up. "No 'Mister.', just Garth."

"Sorry, Garth." Sam amended with a little smile, already liking this teacher. "But I have to admit, I'm a poor artist, probably not someone you'd really want in your class."

Garth waved a dismissive hand. He walked over to his desk and picked up an apple. "Tell me, Sam, what do you think of when you see this?"

"Um, Autumn, red... pie...?" Sam said, unsure how this tied in.

"All wonderful descriptions and thoughts." Garth put down the fruit and looked at Sam very seriously. "I'm not saying you have to draw in this class – heck, I'm not even asking you to pay attention – that's all your choice. I'm just trying to teach you how to express yourself to others, whether it be through words, pictures, or even actions."

"So you're saying you wouldn't be upset with me if I just wrote a poem or something like that?"

"Precisely!" Garth agreed with a little, single clap. "Now come on, we got art to do!"

Sam grinned at Gabriel as he made his way to an easel and other kids filled into the room.

Not much happened during the class. Garth explained different types of brush strokes and demonstrated for a bit before inviting the students to experiment with the new style.

Sam tried to pay attention as he spoke, honest he did, but his thoughts kept wandering back to his father. When Garth let them freestyle, Sam let his hand drift just as aimlessly as his thoughts. When the bell finally rang and Garth excused the class, Sam looked at his pad of paper to see a messily drawn tiger lily. He frowned. His mother had loved tiger lilies, said she liked the challenge it posed to grow them in Kansas. The example of the lilies was how she always taught her boys the value of hard work.

Sam sighed and carefully pulled off the paper, rolling it up and putting it in his bag.

Gabriel was there waiting for him at the door. "C'mon, Samsquatch, we got math next." He pretended to be holding a noise maker as he made a finger gun and put it to the roof of his mouth. Gabriel laughed but stopped when he saw Sam's sober expression. "Hey, Gigantor, what's wrong?"

Sam blushed hard. Was he really going to...? He'd only just met the kid! But who else did he have? Finally Sam sighed. "I, well, I don't have anybody else to..." He rubbed the back of his neck and trailed off.

Thankfully Gabriel understood. He put his hand up to stop Sam's words. "Say no more, I get it. You need to talk to someone but big brother wouldn't understand."

Sam just nodded helplessly.

"Well, come on then." Gabriel grabbed his wrist gently and started tugging him down the hallway. "I know a place we can go where no one will interrupted us."

"But what about math?" Sam frowned but allowed himself to be led.

"Screw math!" the smaller boy cried, a bit too giddy.

Gabriel led Sam to a door that, unlike the others lining the third floor hall, was windowless. He let go of Sam and knelt, rummaging around in his pocket until he found a paperclip. Gabe bent it into a straight line and shoved it in the lock, a sliver of his tongue sticking out between the corner his lips as he listened intently to the tumblers inside.

After a second, Gabriel exclaimed a faint, "Viola!" and opened the door to reveal a steep, narrow concrete staircase.

Gabriel again took Sam by the forearm, his grip firm yet gentle, and led him up the stairs, only stopping to unlock a door at the top that led out onto the roof.

Sam breathed a little sigh, wandering over to the edge of the building as he enjoyed the feeling of the gentle breeze ruffling through his long hair.

Gabriel plopped down in the middle of the roof, pulling his backpack off and opening it, searching in it for a moment before pulling out a bag of peanut butter cookies and two Yoohoos, offering one to the moose.

Sam came and sat across from him and took the chocolate drink, opening it and swallowing a gulp.

"Alright, Samsquatch," Gabe said around a bite of cookie then downed it with a swig of chocolate milk. "What seems to be the problem?"

Sam immediately set down the cookie he had just picked up and let out a long breath. After a long, pregnant moment, he explained everything to Gabriel, starting with the events before the fire and ending with his frustration at his father. Sam had to admit he cried softly when he mentioned his mother's funeral, where he'd given Dean a black eye.

Gabriel was a good listener. He even put down his food as Sam started to tell the story and put a comforting hand on Gigantor's knee when tears started to drip down his face.

Once Sam was done – the whole thing having taken about half an hour to recount – Gabe sat there passively to absorb everything. "Wow." he breathed at last. "And I thought my life sucked."

Sam chuckled sadly. "Thanks, but that's not really helping." He took a bite of his cookie.

"Sorry, I know. I just..." Gabriel paused then hurried on, barely pausing between words. "I'm bi." he flushed. "Bi-bisexual. Sorry, that was abrupt and weird. It's just – you were sharing personal stuff and I've never told anyone that and, and – I'll just shut up now..."

"You don't have to." Sam smiled faintly. "Thanks for trusting me with that, Pipsqueak." Gabe smiled at the nickname and pulled a Hershey bar out of his pack. He split it in half and offered it to Sam, who took it with a gracious smile.

They sat there just talking about the most random things – from a Fall Out Boy concert Gabriel had snuck into, to Sam's interest in knives, to Castiel's weird thing for trench coats, to Dean's habit of singing Led Zeppelin songs in his sleep – for a couple more hours until Gabriel stood up and stretched his aching muscles. "C'mon, lunch is soon. Maybe we can snag being the first ones in line."

Sam grinned and brushed cookie crumbs off his lap as he, too, stood and followed Gabriel down the three flights of steps to the cafeteria.

Not much happened during lunch. Sam and Gabriel sat together, laughing at Gabriel's uncle and his strange antics. Madison tried to sit with them at one point, but Gabe gave her a little glare and she scurried away with a little squeak.

After lunch was finished, they went to the rest of their classes, which occurred without much event.

Sooner than Sam wanted it, the final school bell rang. He sighed and packed up his things, exited the language arts class without interruption.

Gabriel caught up to Sam outside the school as the Winchester went to rendezvous with his elder. Gabriel yanked Sam's hand towards him and grabbed a pen. He scribbled something on Sam's palm then capped the pen and shoved it in his pocket. "Text me, Samsquatch." he said with a wink before rushing off to climb in a red pickup truck.

Sam waved and smiled, then sighed with dread and started making his way towards the black Impala.

He climbed in the back and John smiled widely at him. "How was school? It looks like you've already got yourself a friend."

Sam nodded, looking through his backpack for the piece of Milkyway cake Gabriel had given him after PE. "It was fine." he said it softly into his bag in a tone that really said: _I'm still mad at you, but I've calmed down a bit and am willing to take your bribery of ice cream._

John smiled, then looked towards the school and grinned. "I think your brother enjoyed himself." he said slyly before pressing the heel of his palm against the horn.

Dean jumped at the loud noise and broke lip contact with Andrea Barr. She smiled sweetly and said something to him, before heading off to find her father, who Sam had learned was the principal.

Dean climbed in the car and started on a rapid fire ramp about this awesome kid named Castiel he'd met. John chuckled and only cut him off when they'd gotten to the ice cream parlor.

That went without much event – Sam even laughed at one of their father's dad jokes – and then they headed home.

Sam brushed his teeth and climbed into bed with a yawn, stopping in his crusade for sleep only to plug in his phone and send a quick text to Gabriel, then drifted right to sleep.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed; I don't know how often updates will be, but I'll post them as I can. Thanks for reading!**

**-Lathiel**


	2. Chapter 2

When Sam woke it was still dark outside and his phone was beeping obnoxiously. He groaned and plucked it off the nightstand, pulling out the charger cord. He tapped in his pass code and opened his texts to reveal there was a new one from Gabriel. He frowned and checked the little clock at the top of the screen. 2:43. In the morning.

**Could you come over? - G ** And the text was sent five minutes ago.

**Now? You know it's almost three in the morning, right?** **- S** he typed out quickly, getting a response almost immediately.

**I know... Just... please? - G**

The crease in Sam's brow deepened along with his frown. **Gi****ve ****me an address and I'll be over – S**

Sam Googled the address Gabriel sent him and was a little surprised to see it wasn't too far away from him. Gabriel lived on the edge of the French Quarter.

He pulled on a grey sweatshirt with a German flag on it (Dean had bought if for him after the World Cup ended) and tiptoed out of the house, detouring only to go to the drawer in the kitchen where the keys were kept to grab the spare house key.

He jogged down the streets, trying desperately to forget that he'd only put on a sweatshirt. Not pants. His plaid boxers were all the was keeping his nether region covered and Sam was extremely aware of that, especially due to the chilly mid-October air.

After fifteen straight minutes of running, Sam arrived at the house. It wasn't amazingly ramshackle, especially if you compared it to the other houses in the neighborhood, but there were a few things that could have been done to make it nicer: the lawn needed trimming, the flower beds, which had rose bushes in need of pruning in them, needed weeding, and the roof wouldn't have been worse with a repair, but other than it, it was a fine home.

Rather than knock, since it was past three and Gabriel's mother probably wouldn't like that, he texted Gabe and told him he was out front, to which Gabriel replied to just come in – the door wasn't locked.

Sam pushed open the door, wincing as it squeaked, and stepped into the living room. Connected to this room was a kitchen directly ahead and a hallway to his right. Sam headed down the hall – his eyes adjusting to reveal four doors, two of them were plain, one was open to show a laundry room and the last had the Metallica star painted on it. It wasn't hard to tell which room was Gabriel's.

Sam walked up to the door and raised a fist to knock but stopped when he heard muffled sobs behind the door.

He opened the door and stepped in, blinking at the yellowy light coming from the lamp next to Gabriel's bed.

When he adjusted to the brightness, Sam saw Gabriel curled up in the corner, hands above his head as he made soft whimpers. As far as Sam could tell, he was wearing only a Queen shirt that was definitely too big for him.

Sam had to admit, he melted at the sight of his new, yet best, friend so helpless.

He took a step forward, the floor creaking under his foot. Gabriel flinched and curled up tighter. Sam frowned. "Hey, Pipsqueak." he said softly and the smaller boy looked up. "Gigantor!" he breathed and picked himself off the floor, throwing his arms around Sam's torso. "Thanks for coming." Gabriel mumbled into Sam's shirt, pulling away then wincing.

Sam looked Gabriel up and down, his chest clenching up at the visible agony written on Gabe's face, and yet all he could ask was, "Who's shirt is that?"

"My dad's." Gabriel hugged himself, pain clear in his eyes. "It's one of the few things he left behind when he left my mom." He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, grimacing with each movement. "I listened to you yesterday, Samsquatch, it's time you returned the favor."

Sam nodded, willing to do whatever to make the hurt Gabriel was feeling go away. Gabe sighed. "Could you grab some soda out of the fridge? I'd get it myself but..." he trailed off. "There's a lot I need to get off my chest."

Sam took only a second to grab two cans of Orange Fanta. Gabriel took one gratefully and popped it open, giving a small pleased sigh at the carbonated hiss. After he'd taken a little sip, he locked eyes with Sam, his amber eyes full of unshed tears.

Sam did the only thing he could think of. He pulled Gabriel into a gentle hug.

Gabriel stayed there for a moment, clutching desperately at Sam's shirt, before he sniffled and sat up, only to hiss at the pain.

"What hurts?" Sam asked. "I can probably make a little pain killer for it."

Gabriel breathed in and out slowly before pulling the shirt off over his head, leaving him in a pair of black boxers, and presented his back to Sam.

Samuel gasped at the lines of red welts and scabs going horizontally across his friend's back. He raised a hand to his mouth to stifle the sound. "Gabriel!" Sam exclaimed softly.

"At least I can make up cool stories when these scar over, right?" Gabriel joked, his face grim.

"Come with me to the kitchen." Sam helped Gabriel stand, mindful of the wounds on his back. He pulled the smaller boy out to the kitchen and flipped on the lights. Sam searched around before grabbing two pots. He filled one with water and set it on the stove then put the other one on top of it.

"How'd this happen, Gabriel?" Sam asked as he looked around for the spice cabinet. When he found it, he pulled out a jar of basil, arnica, cayenne, and olive oil. "Do you have any beeswax?"

Gabriel frowned and pointed to the pantry. "Top shelf."

Sam grabbed the container of wax and set it on the counter. He measured out the herbs and oil before putting them in the top pot, the water in the bottom one at a rolling boil. Then he sat down at the table where Gabriel already was and looked at him attentively.

Gabriel sighed and ran his finger through his hair. "It's- it's my mom..."

Sam sat up straighter. "What about her?"

In contrast, Gabriel sank down in his chair. "You know how my dad left her after she found out she was pregnant?"

Sam nodded. That had been something they talked about yesterday on the rooftop. Wow, it didn't seem like just yesterday.

"Well, after she had me, Mom never really was able to deal with it. Now, she's not an alcoholic; she only drinks sometimes, like on Valentine's day or my birthday. Y'know, the days that remind her of dad. But... She's not exactly the best at controlling herself when she's drunk." Gabe's fingers tapped out a beat Sam recognized to belong to the song _In The End_ by Linkin Park. "I love my mom, Sam, and I want to be there to help her. But seeing her cry? Feeling the belt on my back? ...I can't do this for much longer." his voice cracked, not that Gabriel cared. Sam didn't judge him for having feelings, so he could openly cry in front of his friend.

Sam nodded and grabbed a kettle out of one of the cupboards. After putting water in it and letting it boil, Sam placed a mug of herbal tea in front of Gabriel, who sniffled out, "Thanks, Samsquatch." and took a sip of it after wiping away a tear that had trickled out his eye.

Gabriel finished up his tea while Sam worked on whatever concoction he was making on the stove. When he finished, he came up to Gabe and asked him to lie down on the table. Gabriel complied, sucking in a harsh breath when he felt a warm gel touch his back.

Sam made a soothing coo and kept spreading the salve over Gabriel's back. The trickster shivered under his touch. Man, he'd only known this kid for a day, had stupidly admitted his sexuality to him, despite Sam obviously having a thing for that Madison girl, and now the gently caress of the moose's fingers was super hot? His mother wasn't the only one who seemed to fail at relationships.

As the gel cooled off and eased the ache in Gabriel's back, Sam helped him stand up with minimal wincing. "How long has this been going on?"

Gabriel looked at the carpet and toed it. "Since I was six..." he murmured.

"_Ten years?_!" Sam blanched. "Gabriel, this- this- I don't-"

"It's not her fault!" Gabriel interrupted, covering Sam's mouth with his hand and pulling him back into his room. "Mom was crazy in love with Dad - then he just took off one day without warning! Do you even realize what that does to a person? I know this may not be the best way, but I'm just trying to help her."

Sam shook his head, shoving off Gabriel's hand. "It's your life, Gabe, you know I'm not going to tell you what to do with it. But please," he sighed. "Next time she's drunk, give me a call."

Gabriel nodded. He blushed then hugged Sam tightly. "Thank you." he murmured, blushing more as he pulled away.

Sam flushed in turn. "No problem."

Gabriel turned and checked the clock on his nightstand. "Crap. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up 'til four." He turned to Sam, looking apologetic. "You can crash here for a couple hours, if you want." he gestured to a futon in the corner. "It's not great, but it's fine for a little while."

Sam looked at him gratefully and collapsed on the futon as Gabriel crawled into bed. "So, you said your dad's name was Lucifer?" he asked tentatively. Luckily, Gabriel didn't seem to have a problem talking about him, "Yup. Funny, though, considering he was one of the nicest guys ever. He was a real go-getter, from what I've heard from Uncle Michael. Liked to stop and talk to people, just make sure everything was okay in their life, helped out in the community whenever he could, shiz like that."

Sam frowned. All this didn't add up to a man who abandoned his wife. "So why'd he leave?"

Gabe shrugged. "Dunno. I think Mom might have freaked him out. They'd only been married for three months when he told her. Not to mentioned they had barely dated for a year. I don't know about you, but I think I'd panic too." He paused for a long moment, trying to get comfortable under the covers. "Seriously, Samsquatch, thanks for coming."

Sam looked over at him, all snuggled up in his blankets. The words had been so meaningful, so sincere. The simple "Don't mention it." he mumbled out didn't seem like enough after that, but he couldn't find anything else to say before Gabriel's soft snores drifted through the room.

He sighed and curled up in a ball, pulling up the comforter pushed to the foot of the futon. "G'night, Gabriel." he whispered before drifting to sleep.

* * *

Sam woke up with a soft little groan at a pounding on the door. "Gabriel!" a feminine voice called through the wood. "Come on, sweetheart, you need to get up. You're going to be late for school."

When the other didn't even stir, Sam chuckled and got up, stretching as he walked, and gently shook Gabriel's shoulder. "C'mon, man, up time."

Gabriel whined and swatted Sam's hand off. "Not yet." he mumbled, words slurred together, the "T" in "Not" almost nonexistent.

Sam flopped down on top of him with a laugh. That woke Gabriel up. "Get... off me... Gigantor!" he wheezed. "Can't... breath!"

Gabriel gave a mighty push on Sam's side and managed to get him on the floor, both laughing like crazy.

Sam wiped a tear from under his eye. "It's been a long time since I've laughed like that." he chuckled. "Hey, is your mom gonna be pissed that I'm here?"

"What?" Gabriel looked at him, confused. "Oh, no. Despite the impression you may have gotten last night," he went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a plain red tee. "My mother's the coolest person ever. Period. She'll be a little confused, but she'll be more than happy to see you." He tugged on the clothes and went to his closet, putting on an olive colored jacket, looked in the mirror and proclaimed, "I look good." then turned to Sam. "Dunno about you, Sammich, but I'm starving."

Sam put a hand to his growling stomach. "Yeah. But once we're done, do you think your mother could drive me to my house? It's not far from here and I really can't go to school in just these." he gestured to his boxers.

"She'll probably be happy to." Gabriel smirked and Sam rolled his eyes.

Gabriel pushed open the door and Sam followed him out. "Morning, Mom!" the prankster smiled and sat down at the table. Sam noted a splotch of blood on the corner and his eyes widened. Gabriel hushed him with a look.

Ms. Novak, a fairly small woman with light blonde hair down to her shoulders, turned and frowned when she saw Sam. Her eyes were almost the exact amber/green color as Gabriel's. "I'm sorry," she said curtly, brow deeply furrowed like she was trying to remember something. "I do recall my son saying he wanted to have a friend over, but I can't recall meeting you." She smiled politely and stuck out her hand.

Sam looked at Gabe, who gave him a look that said _play along_. He took her hand and shook it firmly. "It's alright, Ms. Novak, you looked exhausted last night. I'm Sam Winchester."

Ms. Novak's smile became all the more genuine. "It's lovely to meet you, Sam. Do you like butter on your waffles?"

Sam's stomach rumbled and he nodded eagerly. Ms. Novak placed a plate in front of both boys and they dug in with gusto. Sam hadn't tasted a homemade breakfast since his mother's death, and this one was absolutely delicious.

A little bit after he and Gabriel had finished breakfast and were cleaning up their plates, with Ms. Novak filing paperwork and explaining Mardi Gras to Sam, a door could be heard opening and a bleary-eyed raven haired boy walked into the kitchen yawning. He stopped when he saw Sam. "Sam Winchester?" he squinted.

Sam frowned. "You're," he snapped a few times, trying to think of what Gabriel had called the kid. "You're Castiel, right?"

"Yes," Castiel nodded slowly. "And you are Dean's younger brother. What are you doing here?"

Gabriel shot a look at his cousin to shut up. Castiel frowned and grabbed a waffle, heading back to where he'd come from. Gabriel sighed. "Sorry 'bout that. He and Uncle Mike live with us. Have ever since Dad took off. Y'know, to help Mom through it."

Sam bristled. They were doing a poor job of it and leaving Gabriel to clean up their mess.

Gabriel looked at him skeptically. "I know what you're thinking," he mumbled. "And I want you to stop it. None of this is their fault."

Sam managed a nod. That was it.

Gabe sighed. "It's fine, really." he comforted once more before going to talk to his mother to explain the Sam's situation. Ms. Novak was more than willing to help and chatted with him happily in the car ride to the Winchester household. She smiled and waved good-bye after dropping him off, telling him he was welcome to come back any time.

Sam sighed, grinning, and turned to his house. The gleeful expression immediately dropped off his face.

Dean was leaning against the hood of the Impala, arms folded over his chest and a scowl deeply etched on his face. "Dad's pissed." he growled, then gave Sam a once-over. "He's gonna be more pissed when he sees you snuck out in that."

"I had to, Dean. Gabriel needed me." he sighed, pushing himself up to sit on the car. "You know, I found out Gabriel's lived here most of his life, yet it seems like I'm the only friend he's ever had."

Dean snorted. "He goes around being an a-hole to everyone, of course he doesn't have friends."

Sam bit his lip. He felt that telling Dean about Gabriel's being abused probably wasn't the best idea, nor one that would let Gabriel know he was trustworthy. "I just had to, okay?"

His older brother inhaled deeply, tilting his head back. "Just know you have to deal with him alone, Sammy."

Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't expect you to help."

"Just hurry up, please. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Sam nodded and braced himself as he walked in. Sure enough, John was sitting at the table tapping his fingers impatiently.

"Do you think you're cute?" he asked sourly. "Do you think this was funny in any way? Do you enjoy causing your brother and I grief?"

"Dad, I-" Sam cut in, but John clicked his fingers. "No, Samuel," Sam sat down across the table. His father had used his real name. He was beyond serious. "I know the move's been hard on you, but this stunt you pulled? This is further than unacceptable."

"Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't m-" Sam moaned, stopping abruptly when John slapped his palm down on the table, half rising out of his chair. "Didn't _mean _to? How do you not _mean_ to sneak out in the middle of the night, Sam? I've been patient with your rebellious antics, I have been gracious with the lack of punishment, but this is too far, Samuel!"

Sam sunk down in his seat, remembering with an odd clarity the time he'd been five and had gotten sick from chocolate he stole from the little corner market. Mary had thought the stomachache and guilt had been enough of a punishment, but John still exploded when he learned about it.

"Sam, I've given you more freedom than most people would. You've proven the mistake in this. You put one more toe out of line and I'm homeschooling you."

"That's not fair!" Sam shot out of his seat, arms rigid by his sides and his hands clenched into tight balls.

"And the terror you gave me and your brother was?!" his father shot back, both hands flat on the table now as he stood up straight. Even now Sam was taller than him – even if it was just by an inch or so, Sam felt like that gave him a shred of power.

"I was helping a friend!"

"I didn't know 'helping' had become the new slang for 'sleeping with!'"

Sam screamed a profanity at his father and stormed to his room, slamming the door so hard the whole house shuddered. His stupid father! He couldn't very well tell him Gabriel was being abused, that wasn't his place! Why did he have to get in trouble for being a good friend!?

He stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, before he pulled on a pair of jeans, a navy tee, and a brown jacket over it. He was just tugging on a pair of work boots when a tapping on his window echoed through his room.

Sam sighed and looked up from his laces. He scowled when he saw Dean. "You can forget the _I-told-you-so_ rant." he snapped, opening his window.

"I didn't dream of giving you one." Dean said soberly, his features soft. "I hate it when you get in trouble just as much as you do, especially when it wasn't necessarily something you should have gotten yelled at for."

"Then why are you here?" he demanded. His tone was bitter and made Dean recoil an inch.

"I talked Dad into letting me drive the Impala today. I thought maybe a bit of time away from him would help."

Sam would never admit to it, but his scowl lessened ever-so-slightly. That was his big brother. Always watching out for him. "Thank you." he muttered, barely above a whisper.

"No chick-flick moments." Dean reminded him with feigned stern. "Now get out here, I got a date to make."

Sam rolled his eyes and grabbed the top of the window, hauling himself out feet first. He landed firmly and followed Dean to the Impala, climbing into shotgun and immediately fiddling with the radio. Dean slapped his hand off. "You and I can't agree on music so we don't listen, got it?"

The younger sighed and huffed, "Jerk."

Dean grinned. "You know what I have to say to that."

Sam rolled his eyes, holding back the little chuckle in his throat as he jumped out of the car. Dean got out of the car and gave his brother one last little smile before heading off, probably to go find Andrea and engage in another intense make-out session.

He smiled and grabbed his backpack as he went inside and headed for his locker. Coincidentally, Madison's was right next to his.

"Oh, hey, Sam." she breathed with a smile. Sam copied the expression. "Hi Madison." He shut his locker and gave the brunette his full attention. "So do you want to hang out after school? I mean, I'm a little broke right now and can't do much better than McDonalds, but do you want to?"

"Yeah," Madison chuckled. "Yeah, I'd love to."

Sam grinned. "Great." He caught a wave of honey brown hair and grinned more. "So I'll talk to you a bit more about it after school."

"Sure." Madison beamed. "See ya 'round."

Sam repeated the farewell. He turned and walked down the hall, poking Gabriel in the back when he got close enough and instantly felt terrible as the prankster sucked in a sharp breath and winced, tensing.

"Oh my- crap, I'm so sorry." Sam said hastily, grimacing.

Gabriel bit his lip as the pain faded. "It's fine." he cringed as he jerked his arm to close his locker. "You've probably never had this problem before." He managed a smile but Sam could see how fake it was. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to, but they hadn't studied Gabriel's face. There was that one missing wrinkle that was always there when it was a genuine gesture...

Sam physically shook himself. Wait, _what?_ Since when had he been studying Gabe's face? More importantly _why?_ Gabriel was just a friend! ...Right?

Sam growled at himself. Yes. He was _just_ a friend.

Gabriel watched Sam's internal debate with confusion. "Uhhh, so, you and Madison?"

The Winchester couldn't fight the smile that came on his face. Girls. He could do girls. "Yeah, I asked her out tonight."

"Really? Two days and already going on a date? I thought you said Dean was the player." Gabe teased. He picked up his backpack and he and Sam headed towards their history class.

"Shut up, she seems cool and it's not like I have anything better to do with my evening."

Sam watched as that fake smile crept back onto Gabriel's face. "Yeah, I'm happy for you, man."

Despite himself, Sam couldn't really bring himself to give more than a second thought to his friend's lack of genuine ebullience as they sat down in Ms. Talbot's class. Heck, even the first thought had been hard enough of give - his mind instead wandering to Madison.

The English woman spent the class explaining the terms of the Mayflower Compact, not that Sam listened until the when she cleared her throat loudly. "It is a bit ahead of our studies, but at the end of November, our class has gotten permission to go to spend three days at Stone Mountain, Georgia. Whilst we are there, we will be studying the early history of the settlement, it's place in the Civil War, and specifically the involvement of the Ku Klux Klan." Ms. Talbot produced a piece of paper on a clipboard with a pen from her desk drawer. "I understand not all of you will be able to make it, but the school needs to know how many will be attending so we can figure out the bus fare. Sign-ups for the trip will be closed by the end of this week. You need only pay for lodging, which we will be staying at an inexpensive hotel, and the school will provide the rest. Dismissed." she said right before the bell rang.

"You going?" Sam asked Gabriel as they headed up to the front of the room. There was no doubt in the teen's mind that he would be attending. Nothing John could say would stop him, especially if he earned the money himself.

Gabriel shrugged. "I might, but I can't exactly afford a room no matter how cheap they make it."

"I'll make you a deal," Sam offered, turning to the prankster. "You come and I pay?"

"Sam, just because of what I told you last night doesn't mean you have to make me your charity case."

"No, no, no. There is a downside to this. You have to stay in my room with me." He smiled when Gabriel looked at him in confusion. "I snore. A lot."

Gabe sighed. "Well, dealing with that would be better than dealing with home. You've got yourself a deal."

Sam grinned and wrote down both of their names on the paper.

* * *

Sam flopped down on the couch at home with a moan.

"Sam," Dean called from his room. "Just because you look like a moose doesn't mean you have to make their noises."

"Shut up."

"You're in a bad mood for someone who just got home from a date with a hot chick." Dean emerged from his room, looking down at Sammy with concern. "What happened?"

Sam lifted his head from the pillow and glared at his older brother. "Something I had entirely no control over!" Dean tapped his foot impatiently and Sam sat up with a groan, knowing he wasn't going to get any peace until he told Dean. "So Madison and I went to McDonald's just to hang out and I noticed a sign saying they had a job opening. Maddie said she worked there and it would be awesome if we were co-workers. Except when I went to talk to the manager, who was an older woman, she started hitting on me. Madison saw it and thought I had started to flirting, so she slapped me and stormed home."

"Did you two make-out at all?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "You have some whacked up priorities. No. We didn't. But I got a job."

Dean laughed and ruffled his hair as he stood. "Just give her sometime to cool down, she'll come running back. But now you know she has a pretty intense thing for you." He winked.

Samuel rolled his eyes. "I'm going to bed now." he stated firmly.

"'Night, Sammy!" Dean called over his shoulder, going to his own room.

Sam mumbled his own, "G'night." and headed to his room, collapsing on his bed without even putting on pajamas and falling asleep instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam moaned around the bite of pie in his mouth. "Holy crap, your mom wasn't kidding when she said she could work miracles with apples."

Gabriel chuckled as he piled a hefty mountain of whipped cream on his own slice. "Was I right or was I right?"

"I'm pretty sure it was your mother that made this." Sam smirked as Gabriel pouted. "Just gotta take the fun out of it for me, don't you?"

Sam laughed and took another bite. He took a deep breath, loving the sting of the late Autumn air on his lungs.

Not that he would ever care to admit it, especially not to his father, but these past few weeks had been downright delightful. Dean and Castiel had become fast friends, which in turn helped out Sam and Gabriel's friendship. Ms. Novak liked to joke that they were joined at the hip because of how much time her son spent with Sam. What could he say? Gabriel was the best friend he'd ever had. Sam had never melded with someone so easily before.

Gabriel flat-out whimpered when he realized his plate was empty. The prankster stood up to grab another piece of pie, but Sam grabbed his ankle. "Come on, don't eat it all. We have to save some for Dean and Cas." he chuckled, using the nickname Dean had dubbed the elder Novak boy with, as Gabriel pouted.

"Fine." Gabriel finally consented. "I say we give them each a piece then eat the rest by ourselves."

Sam laughed and picked himself up off the ground, stretching out his mildly sore muscles. They had been sitting out on the hard wooden porch for two hours now and it had certainly taken its toll on his body.

Gabriel led him in to the kitchen. They got out two plates, put a piece of apple pie on each with a bit of cream. The prankster picked up the plates and headed to the basement, pausing only so Sam could open the door for him.

Sam could have sworn he heard moaning as they made their way down the stairwell but he dismissed the thought. It was probably just some movie they were watching.

Gabriel stopped at the bottom of the stairs, Sam bumping into him as a grin spread over the other boy's face. Sam almost protested until he looked up and saw Dean and Cas on the couch. Their limbs were so intertwined it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Cas was in Dean's lap, the Winchester's fingers tangled in his hair. Their lips tightly pressed together.

Sam could only stay poker-faced for half a millisecond before he burst out laughing. The couple jumped and untangled from each other. Dean scowled at them. Gabriel set the plates of pie down on the ground and wrapped his arms around Sam's waist and started to pull him back up the stairs. "Come on, Gigantor, let's leave the happy couple alone."

Sam was laughing so hard that Gabe had to practically drag him up the stairs. When he finally closed the basement door and gave one last huff, Gabriel started to howl with laughter too. "Okay," he panted, wiping away a tear of mirth. "_That_ was awesome."

"Yeah." Sam chuckled. "I never thought _Dean_ of all people would date a guy. He's always seemed slightly homophobic."

"'Parently Cassie taught him differently." Gabriel put his hands on his knees and tried to force himself to breath. "I bet they're going to be a really mushy couple too. Y'know, holding hands everywhere, pulling out each other's chairs."

"Kissing all the time." Sam giggled and they both pulled a face. "Who do you think will be little spoon?"

"Dean." the prankster answered without hesitation.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Dean seems pretty dominant to me."

"Nah," Gabe waved his hand as if to dispel the illusion. "I bet you twenty bucks Cassie will be the rough one."

"Oh, come _on_." the moose rolled his eyes. "Cas is too nice and quiet for all that stuff."

Gabriel started giggling so hard he had to sit down. After a few minutes of trying to breathe with Sam giving him weird looks, he managed to laugh out, "Watch him be like, 'chains and whips excite me.'" He started to howl with laugh again and covered it with his hand.

Sam's mouth fell open. "Are we talking about the same person? You know, Castiel, your cousin, he lives in your basement with his dad, always dresses like he's got an interview to go to, wears a trench coat, doesn't know what a brush is? That Castiel?"

"I know," Gabriel wheezed, clutching his stomach. "But could you imagine him wearing leather?"

Sam started to cackle loudly as the image appeared in his mind. "Oh my gosh, that would be priceless!"

"Grow up you two." Dean snapped, that being the only noise he'd made since coming upstairs.

"But we like to fantasize about you and your new boyfriend." Gabriel chortled, earning a strange look from both Winchesters. "That sounds wrong on so many levels, Gabe." Sam informed, slightly disturbed now.

Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Well if you're both done acting like five-year-olds," - the teens stuck their tongues out at him - "Sam and I have to head home."

"Nooooooo," the younger Novak whined as he fell into Sam's lap. "You can't leave me here with Casanova! He's_ so_ boring!"

Samuel shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, man. Dad wants us back home by eight. School night and all."

"He's gonna make me _study_, Sam!" Gabriel moaned, grabbing at his friend's shirt.

He rolled his eyes as he pushed Gabe out of his lap and stood. "See ya tomorrow?" he asked while the two bumped fists.

The prankster raised his hands to shoulder level, palms up towards the ceiling. "I dunno. Maybe. May not be in a school mood tomorrow though."

Sam punched his arm lightly. "You better be there." he said firmly, gave one last grin, and followed Dean out to the Impala – the car which was now his, as their father had bought a black pickup under the pretenses that it would be more helpful for the new construction job he'd found.

"So you and Cas, huh?" Sam grinned, staring out the window.

"Yes, me and Cas. Got a problem with it?" he growled.

"Not at all." Sam replied quickly to get the death glare off him. "You're happy, I'm happy."

Dean nodded and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, shouldn't have snapped. Just... don't tell Dad, will you? I don't think he'd take it well; y'know, me being his perfect son and all." He grinned to show the last part was a joke but Sam didn't quite feel it. It hit a little too close to home. John did seem to favor Dean over the younger. Probably because he was more like their father. But he did understand where his brother was coming from: John did not enjoy change as drastic as that one; so he nodded and said he wouldn't, leaving the rest of the car ride to be sat out in silence.

When they got home, John managed to get a kiss and a hug to Sam before he rushed to his room to study. After a couple of hours of reviewing facts about the Revolutionary War, he fell asleep listening to some AFI album.

* * *

"Gabriel, it's only five o'clock! Shut _up_!" Sam moaned from his bed, covering his face with his pillow. Gabriel had been in the shower singing Journey songs at the top of his lungs for the past fifteen minutes.

The prankster stopped in his chorus of _Anyway You Want It _to yell back, "Sorry!"

Sam smiled softly at the silence that followed, broken only by the sound of the cascading water.

Well, until Gabriel's voice rang out loud and clear. "_Anything you say can and will be held against you, so only say my name, it will be held against you-"_

"I'm going to kill you, your children, and your grandchildren. Shut the frickin' frack up!"

Gabriel came out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Someone's cranky."

"It's way too early to be awake." Sam groaned into his pillow.

"Come on, Samsquatch." Gabriel laughed as he got dressed. "We have to be out of here by six or else we're gonna miss the bus."

Sam whined and threw his blankets off, quickly climbing out of bed and getting dressed in his usual four layers of plaid. "Six. It had to be six. That's ridiculously early."

"Well maybe it would be better if you hadn't stayed up till two texting Madison." the prankster smirked as he hefted his duffel bag onto his shoulder.

A goofy grin appeared on Sam's lips. He and Madison had officially hooked up. It had happened at the school's Halloween dance.

Sam was almost positive the cider had been spiked with something, but he didn't really care. After a couple of cups of it with Gabe, he and Madison had got to talking, getting to know each other and all that jazz. Apparently she'd grown up on a ranch with a horse and everything. She moved to Louisiana when she was eleven for her father's job - he was a high-class salesman. Now she was aiming to become a kindergarten teacher. A few hours and five slow dances later, Sam had gotten up the courage to kiss her. Madison had reciprocated. Now they were an official couple.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Wipe the grin off your face, let's get go get some breakfast." His tone was almost a growl.

Sam furrowed his brow as Gabriel walked out to the kitchen. The guy was always so happy despite the crap he'd had to go through. …Except when he brought up Maddie. That's when everything showed: his anger, his disappointment, his loneliness, and mostly his depression. But if, lo and behold, a subject change came along, Gabriel was back to being his happy-go-lucky self.

Gabe was Sam's best friend and if anyone asked, he loved the kid to death – he was willing to do anything for him – but for his life, he could not figure the guy out.

"Hurry up, Gigantor!" Gabriel yelled from the kitchen. "Your dad got Frosted Flakes!"

Sam chuckled and shook his head as he pulled on a pair of brown work boots. He walked out to the kitchen to see Gabriel sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal in front of him, hefting spoonfuls of sugar onto it.

"Dude, you're gonna get diabetes." Sam yawned as he sat across from his friend. "But seriously, there's not enough sugar on those already?"

Gabriel's head snapped up. He looked genuinely shocked. "How could you even say that? There's no such thing as 'enough sugar.'" He put air quotes around the phrase. He took a bite of cereal and shook his head, putting another spoonful of sugar in his bowl, muttering to himself about how crazy Sam was.

Sam laughed but broke off as Dean stomped in. He looked angrier than Sam could remember and his spiky blonde hair was a total mess, not like he usually liked it.

Dean didn't bother with a "good morning" as he grabbed a bowl and the jug of milk, slamming both down on the counter.

"What's up?" Sam asked, resting his cheek against his fist.

"Remember last week when I got detention?"

Sam nodded. Dean had kissed Cas' cheek in the lunchroom and ended up getting called to the principal's office later that afternoon.

"Well, Cas looked it up. There's a no gays policy at the school." Dean growled and slammed the fridge door shut. "Those homophobic douche bags!"

"Huh," Gabriel hummed after taking another bite of sugar-death. "I guess that explains about a third of my detentions."

Dean looked up at Gabriel curiously. "You've kissed a guy?"

He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Yeah. I've kissed a guy. Gordon, he's in your class. Uh, I've kissed Nate Ross, Oliver, Jesse, all of whom are in our year." He turned to Sam, who had found a sudden interest in his cereal. Somehow, Gabe talking about past flames wasn't too exciting for him.

"Guess you're not too picky." Dean commented jokingly. Gabriel laughed. "Not in the slightest." He winked.

"Gross, dude. I'm with your cousin."

Gabriel shrugged. "Just thought I should put that out there."

Dean snorted as he poured out his own breakfast. "Just go back to your chocolate coated sugar bombs."

The prankster rolled his eyes. "Why? Am I making you... uncomfortable?" he asked, his voice getting low and husky on the last word as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Dean, why are you awake?" Sam inquired suddenly, needing a topic change and fast. But the blissful change didn't come and the youngest Winchester knew it never would from the broad grin on his brother's face.

"Cas wants to show me a little park by the school. He said he used to go there all the time and watch the sunrise."

Gabriel faked a dry heave and Sam nodded. "You two are disgusting." the younger Winchester stated.

"Hey!" Dean barked, becoming the cross, protective boyfriend he would whenever someone started to make fun of Castiel in any way. "You don't hear me saying anything like that about you and Madison."

Gabriel had now taken his own interest in his bowel of impending death. Dean looked between the two younger boys before he made a loud sort of snort/chortle in the back of his throat. "I can't believe it. Cas was totally right." he laughed as he picked up his cereal and went to his room, music blaring as soon as he was in, only slightly muffled by the door.

Sam rolled his eyes as soon as he was gone. "I don't even want to know, do I?"

The prankster shrugged. "If Cassie was the one who said it, no probably not. It'll be deep, philosophical, and most likely boring."

Sam snorted into his bowl. "You don't give the guy enough credit. At least he's smarter than more than half the kids in our class."

Gabriel just shrugged again as John came out, smiling widely. "Ready to go?"

Both boys nodded. Within a few minutes they were in the pickup, their bags loaded in the back. "Sam?" John asked, hoping his son would know. And he did. The youngest Winchester rolled his eyes, looking out the window. "I know, I know. Be respectful to the teacher, kind to the other kids, and don't burn the place down." He meant the last part as a rib at his father but Gabriel laughed. "That's a rule _I_ should be getting, not you."

John actually cracked a smile. "Gabriel, you better be good. Otherwise I'm making you pay for both this trip and my gas, got it?"

Gabriel's eyes widened and he nodded vigorously. Sam knew the topic of money hit a little too close to home for him, but he really didn't think just joking about the subject would throw him off the edge.

The rest of the ride was silent, John completely oblivious to how tense Gabriel had become. When they got to the school – all of Sam's class already standing outside, waiting to load up on the charter buses – John pulled Sam into a tight hug. "You stay safe, boy. You hear me?"

The moose nodded. "Loud and clear, sir. I'll keep out of trouble."

He smiled and ruffled his son's hair. He gave Gabe an affectionate pat on the back with a, "You watch over that kid for me or else he'll do something stupid." couple with a wink. He gave Sam one last tender look before getting back in the pickup and driving off.

The next fifteen minutes was a scramble of Ms. Talbot telling students to make sure they had all their belongings, which bus to get on, and the snobby, obnoxious rich girls bargaining for a seat together. Finally Ms. Talbot just told them in a falsely sweet voice that if they didn't get on their assigned buses now, they wouldn't be going at all. Both Sam and Gabriel smirked as they were for once denied of what they wanted.

Lucky for the two, they'd managed to get a seat together, and so for the trip they spent their time either playing Fruit Ninja or debating the Star Wars Prequels, along with annoying the other passengers by arguing loudly with Balthazar and Chuck about which music genre was the best. At least until Ms. Talbot so kindly told them to "shut the crap up."

* * *

It was three in the afternoon when they finally got there, the large, gray mountain visible a few miles before they were even at the park, and four thirty by the time they were all checked into their rooms and had their things put away in them; by five most of the students were in a pizza parlor just outside the historical park.

Sam was sitting with Madison, the two being generally disgusting as they fed each other pizza and giggled, when Gabriel tapped on his shoulder.

"Can I borrow him?" he asked Madison and she nodded.

Sam frowned as he got up with one last smile to his girlfriend. "What's up?" he inquired as soon as he and Gabe were outside.

Gabriel shuffled for a moment and kept a staring contest going with the sidewalk as he asked his question: "Could I, uh, have the room key? I'm... tired..."

Sam frowned a little at the rather lame ending but nodded and fished the small key out of his pocket, dropping it in the prankster's outstretched hand. "Just, text me if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded and didn't give another look as he went back to the hotel with one of the teacher escorts.

Throughout the night it was obvious how perturbed the moose was. Madison often complained that he didn't seem there with her whenever he stopped talking. Even more so when she tried to kiss him. It wasn't his fault. He just couldn't focus, not with the nagging thought of what was wrong with his friend in the back of his mind. Gabriel was normally a huge party person. So what changed now?

Sam was the first back to the rooms and he had to admit that he almost regretted that status when he saw Gabriel curled up on the bed, body wracked with sobs.

"Gabe, what's up?" he frowned as he came and sat on the edge of the mattress, tentatively reaching out to put a hand on his arm. When Gabriel didn't flinch at the contact, he rubbed the smaller boy's bicep in soothing circles.

The prankster shook his head fervently as nonsensical babble started to flow out of his mouth. Though, along with the obvious non-English, there was two repeated noises that after a bit of intent listening started to actually sound like words. "Mom... dying..."

Sam's eyes widened and he bent down to hug his friend. Gabriel just nodded, obviously relieved he didn't have to verbally explain the situation.

"Uncle Mikey got me a plane ticket... I'm going home in the morning to see her..." he whispered after the long, untracked time it took for his tears to stop. "I don't know how we're gonna do this, Sam. We're dirt poor and I still can't figure out why. Mom was always willing to work hard where she could but for some reason could never hold a steady job. And me?" he barked out a bitter laugh. "Well, I got a record. Most companies don't want a sixteen-year-old who's been to juvie twice on their work force."

Sam knew it was all just nonsensical blubbering, but he listened intently. For all the time the Winchester and Novak spent together, Gabriel rarely gave away much about his home life, preferring to discuss Sam's interests and chime in when he agree with the other's opinion.

"What did you do?" he asked tentatively, afraid the question would make his friend close off. Instead, Gabriel looked grateful at the idea of telling his own story.

"The first time was vandalism. Was young and stupid then and thought graffiti might be fun. It wasn't. It's just drawing except on a bigger canvas. Second time was for arson." He actually grinned fondly at the memory. "It was me and another chick. Lots of fun, that was. I'd never do it again though." he added, rapidly growing sober. "When Mom learned that I'd burnt down an apartment building – even if it _was_ completely empty -" he shook his head. "The look of sheer disappointment in her eyes was terrible. I never want to see it again.

"I'm sorry." he whispered suddenly, looking up at Sam. "I shouldn't be dumping all my problems on you."

"It's not dumping when I'm willing taking them." Sam soothes. "You get some sleep. I'll talk to Ms. Talbot."

"No!" Gabriel said quickly with a quite whimper. "Sam would... Would you stay with me... Please?" he asked slowly, obviously expecting rejection.

Instead Sam nodded. He stood so he could pull the covers over Gabe's shoulders then crawled under them. The smaller boy curled up against his chest and was asleep within minutes. Sam only had a few moments to wonder what was next before he followed to dreamland soon after.

* * *

Sam woke before Gabriel did and was pleasantly surprised to find that the other had wormed his way into his arms at some point in the night.

He sighed as he gently pulled an Indiana Jones, slipping the pillow under Gabriel's head to replace his chest. Gabriel didn't even stir at the swap.

He dressed quickly and slide out of the room silently.

Ms. Talbot was easy about the situation, giving many condolences for Ms. Novak's unknown condition. Sam even managed to convince his father to get a ticket home on the same plane – though earned himself four weekends at home doing chores. Sam's biggest worry was how Gabe was. When he came back to the room the prankster was staring absently into space, the hands that always seemed to be tapping out some drum line for once perfectly still and folded over his stomach.

"How're you doing?" Sam asked as he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

Gabriel sighed with a little shrug. "Could be better, could be worse. Ask me again when this all actually sets in." He sat up, pulling his legs into lotus position. "In all honesty, I can't really feel anything right now. I think I'm in too much shock but I'm too stubborn to admit even that."

Sam nodded his understanding. "I got a plane ticket as well. Ms. Talbot said she'll get one of the other teachers to take us to the airport in a bit. You should probably get showered up before. I'll get us some breakfast."

Gabriel nodded with another heavy sigh. He grabbed a change of clothes and went to take a long shower.

In the time it took for him to wash up despite the numbness he felt, Sam had gone out and gotten a few biscuits from Chick-Fil-A. They ate in silence; Gabriel too empty inside to speak, Sam not knowing what to say.

Within the hour the two found themselves sitting on the hood of Mr. Singer's car. Gabriel was staring emptily off into the distance when Ms. Talbot called him over.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked meekly.

She sighed and took both of his hands in her own. "Gabriel, I've known you for a very long time and your mother for longer. I know this is difficult. You know, my father whenever I went through a hard time, he would remind me of a quote from J. R. R. Tolkien: 'It is not the strength of the body, but the strength of the spirit.' I think you can appreciate the author." She smiled softly and Gabriel nodded. "You have a very strong spirit, Gabriel. You'll make it through this. And though the result may not be a happy one, in the end it will help you tremendously."

"Thank you, Ms. Bela." Gabe mumbled, using the name for her he had grown up with rather than the one he'd learned to use in school.

She hugged the boy tightly. "And you've got Sam with you to help you through it all. Never underestimate the value of a good friend. You treat him just as well as he's treating you, you here me?"

He nodded quietly. She smiled and embraced him once more. "Tell your mother I said 'hi.'" she muttered as she let go of him.

Gabriel went back to the car and climbed in. The ride to the airport was slow and tense, but it gave him the time he needed to think. She was right. Sam was a good friend. But was he _just_ a friend? Gabriel was nearly positive the feelings he had for the galoot moose were more than just intense friendship, but was Sam willing to give_ him _a try?

Sure, he hadn't freaked when Gabe had told him he was bisexual. But that didn't really mean he would be okay with dating a guy even if his older brother was.

Gabriel didn't really believe the whole "gay runs in families" thing. It was flat out bull honkey. Whether you liked guys or girls was a matter of personal choice, not genetics. Still, it did seem like a person who had a gay sibling was more willing to accept themselves as gay.

_Look at you, aren't you just a sap? _Something inside Gabriel snarled. He never liked that voice when it came up, and it always seemed to come at the worst possible moments. _He's dating Madison. He's _happy_. He's never going to like you the way you like him. _

Gabriel sighed. For all the internal protest he might do, it was probably true. Sam was a chick guy. That wasn't going to change so there was no point in pressing against the seams. He liked having Samsquatch as a friend. He wasn't willing to lose the relationship they already had for something that would never happen.

"You still here?" Sam asked, making Gabriel jerk out of his thoughts.

"Uh, y-yeah..." he mumbled, only now realizing that they were at the airport.

Sam sighed and got out, Gabe following close behind. Mr. Singer gave them each a clap on the back after escorting them inside.

Security was surprisingly easy going that day, though they were a little questioning about two teens flying on a school day. But they couldn't deny them passage to the plane.

Gabriel bounced the entire flight despite Sam telling him to calm down a bit, thinking their one and a half hour time in the air to be way too long.

* * *

Far too late for his taste, they were on the ground and in the back of Michael Novak's car on the way to the hospital. "You don't have to come." Gabriel murmured.

"I want to. I want to be there." Sam whispered back, putting a comforting hand on the prankster's knee. He just nods, keeping his gaze locked out the window.

The doctors were kind enough to the youngest Novak when they got there, but he saw through their pained façade. They weren't actually upset. It wasn't their mother in the room, struggling for her life.

Before he was allowed to go in, one doctor pulled him aside. "Hello, Gabriel." he said quietly.

Gabriel just grunted his acknowledgment.

"I'm Doctor Freeman. I've been working with your mother. You are aware of what happened, aren't you?"

Gabriel tilted his hand side to side in a _sorta_ gesture and the doctor sighed. "She's been in a very bad car accident, Gabriel. As you know, her condition is critical." he paused for a long moment. "I need you to understand that she may not make it through the night."

His eyes widened and he shook his head frantically, pulling out of Doctor Freeman's grip so he could rush to his mother's room.

Castiel was sitting next to the bed, holding a bandaged hand and whispering softly to her. It took a great deal of effort, but Gabriel finally let his eyes drift slowly up the bandaged and bruised arm up to the- He sucked in a harsh breathe. His mother's face looked like it had been stuck in a furnace, the flesh blistered terribly and where there wasn't nasty welts it was an angry, vibrant red, contrasted by the see through green mask over her mouth and nose.

He had to force himself to breath. This couldn't... No... His mother wasn't really on life support, not his stubborn-as-a-mule mother. She couldn't be. She wouldn't let herself be.

But yet here she was. Barely even drawing breathe. It took a moment, but he finally noted that each time she filled her lungs there was a wet sound to accompany it.

This couldn't be happening. Not really.

But it was.

It was a struggle, but Gabriel finally managed to get his feet to shuffle over to the bedside. "Hey, Mom." he said softly. Angie Novak's eyes slowly fluttered open and small smile spread across her face.

"Castiel, could you give us a moment, please?" she asked, her voice so weak and cracky that it was all Gabe could do to not burst into tears right then.

Cas nodded. "Of course, Aunt Angela. Father and I will be here if you need anything." he said softly as he rose out of the chair, gave a pitying look to his cousin, and left.

Gabriel sank down into the previously occupied chair and his mother looked at him fondly, reaching out a hand to cup her son's cheek. He leaned into the touch despite her skin being covered in boils and burning hot. "My beautiful boy..." she whispered. "Your father would be so proud of you. I know you don't believe it." she added before he could protest. "But he would be." She let out a long, shaky breathe. "Thank you, Gabriel, my beautiful little angel. Thank you for letting me watch you grow up. I know I wasn't as good to you as I should've been, but you were always so kind to me. It has been such a blessing to have you in my life."

"Mom, stop." Gabriel wasn't ashamed that he had flat out whimpered. The way she made everything sound... No. He couldn't think about that. Not now. "You're acting like this is a good bye. But it's not. You're gonna get all healed up and come home so we can try to eat chocolate fondue but it'll only get all over the kitchen; so you can teach me how to fix the Jeep and take good care of it; so we can blare beyonce at three in the morning just to get Uncle Mike all riled up." Tears started to pour out of his eyes as he recalled each memory then realized that he would probably never have a moment like that with his mother ever again.

Angie shook her head as best she could. "You find yourself someone to take care of you, Gabriel. You hear me? A nice man or woman who loves you for who _you_ are, not who society tells you to be. And you better be good right back to them, Gabriel. Because once you find that person, you have _one_ shot to either get it all or lose it all, so use that one shot wisely. Don't dillydally because you're afraid. You'll only make it worse. Give that person your all. And never once believe you don't deserve them, because you do, Gabriel. You are a lovely young man and I wish I could watch you raise your own family. But you'll do fine by yourself. I know you will."

Gabriel nodded. "Go to sleep, Mom." he said softly. It was obvious she was exhausted from her little rant and he knew sleep would be the only that would help her get the strength to fight through this.

"I'm sorry you had to come home early from your trip." she whispered. "I know how excited you were."

"Shh, sleep." he cooed, leaning over to kiss her forehead softly.

Angela nodded and went to sleep almost immediately.

Gabriel stayed with her for as long as he could, just watching her chest rise and fall slowly, committing every little thing about her to memory, before a nurse came in and told him visiting hours were over.

Sam had had to leave a few hours prior and Gabriel was nearly ashamed to admit that he was almost gleeful about it. The car ride home was dead silent and as soon as they pulled into the drive way, he escaped to his room.

Right now, all he needed was a good long time to think about how right his mother's words may have been.


End file.
